Surfing: Christie eliminated in Australia

Kiwi surfer Ricardo Christie in action at the Margaret River Pro. Photo / Getty

Kiwi surfer Ricardo Christie has been eliminated in the third round of the Margaret River Pro on the World Surf League.

A day after knocking out ratings co-leader Felipe Toledo at the Western Australian event, Christie was defeated by third seed Adrian de Souza in the third round.

The Brazilian managed two top scores of 7.83 and 1.77 from six waves, beating Christie's best efforts of 2.50 and 1.87.

Christie finished the event in 13th place, his best result to date in his debut season on the World Surf League's top tour. The Gisborne surfer finished 25th at the first two events of the year, in the Gold Coast and Victoria.